Gazing at Stars
by Akino K
Summary: A drabble collection on the SnapeSinistra pairing.
1. Perfection

Title: Perfection

Author: AkinoK

Summary: At a ball, he watches her dance.

Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" is owned by JK Rowling, and I'm happy with that. I'd ruin it, I guess.

Note: Well, this is the start of a drabble series featuring Severus Snape and Auriga Sinistra, because I've read too many fanfictions about these two, in the last few days.

This started with me picking out some random words from the dictionary, about which I wrote a drabble. So far, I've got five, but if you've got any suggestions…?

I guess this would take place during the Yule Ball, but it doesn't really matter.

Cue word: "tuck" in the sense of "hem" or "seam". Thus the dress thing.

* * *

– Perfection – 

How often had he mocked her about her way of dressing, always in pragmatic robes, never the slightest bit extravagant? She was wearing a flowing silken black dress.

How often had he made fun of her clumsy movements, tripping over nothing and never missing a single trick step on the stairs? She was stealing away everyone's attention on the dance floor.

How often had he told her to just charm her hair down and keep her glasses up with a spell? She was the picture of perfection.

The problem, he thought, growling, was that she was being it without _him_.


	2. Sweet

Title: Sweet

Author: AkinoK

Summary: Someone is enjoying their chocolate.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything. But since she doesn't seem to need him anymore, I'm burrowing Severus for a moment.

Note: I've already written some more drabbles, but I'm always open to suggestions. Also, to everyone who reviewed so far, thank you!

Cue word: "sweet" in the meaning of "dessert".

* * *

– Sweet –

He'd never been a great lover of sweets.

Not that he'd never indulge, but unlike many other people, he was not dependent on sugar to run.

She, on the other hand, could do nothing without the right chocolate. Right now, she was picking out a little something made of dark, covered with droplets of white. She put it in her mouth, and he could see her eyes lighting up, just before she closed them, humming softly. She was rolling it around on her tongue, taking in the sweetness and the rough pattern.

Yes, he certainly indulged, once in a while.


	3. Hard Work

Title: Hard Work

Author: AkinoK

Summary: Writing a Christmas Card can be a really challenging job.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I'm not making any money with this – sad, but true.

Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, especially to Jillie Rose whose review allows me to be content with the last chapter.

This one doesn't fit the season, alright, but it's the next cue word on the list.

Cue word: "Christmas Card"

* * *

– Hard Work –

He sat at his desk and eyed the object of his displeasure warily, fumbling about with a quill, turning it over and over again between his fingers. What he was going to do about this whole situation, he didn't know. He'd never been forced to do it before, so he was a complete novice to it.

Of course, he knew what was expected of him, but when he put down the quill again, he still couldn't have said whether he'd done it right. She'd have of understand; after all it was his very first attempt at writing a Christmas Card.


	4. Guidance

Title: Guidance

Author: AkinoK

Summary: Severus comes back home after meeting the Dark Lord – for the first time in over a decade.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all of them.

Note: Reviews are always appreciated, as are suggestions for future cue words, as I still haven't chosen all of them.

Cue word: "guide"

* * *

– Guidance – 

The first time after a meeting with the Dark Lord, after thirteen years, he had broken down on his bed. At that moment it had seemed to him that everything light had vanished. The world they had been rebuilding was coming down around them.

That night, he had been close to putting an end to it, closer than ever before.

Then, she had come.

She had entered his rooms and sat down at his side, feeling no need to ask any questions. It had been her light that had guided him out of the darkness, and he'd never forget that.


	5. Ability

Title: Ability

Author: AkinoK

Summary: He contemplates a strange ability of hers.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns "Harry Potter", but I've at least got this notebook.

Note: Reviews keep me going, and suggestions for cue words keep me going faster, so you know what to do.

Cue word: "competence"

– Ability –

He had often wondered how it was possible for her to direct his every step and know his every thought, even at times when he himself was not able to. He wished for that ability, himself, at times, to read her like an open book, to be able to tell her exactly what ailed her and what she needed to get better again. She had it, uncanny as it sometimes was, and it made the hardest moments at least bittersweet.

His attempts to understand her were foolish, though, and he knew it: She was the only one with this competence.


	6. Glory

Title: Glory

Author: AkinoK

Summary: He used to dream of fame.

Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, so I don't make money with this.

Note: Seeing as I got only one review since posting the last three chapters (thank you, Verity Kindle!), am I to assume that they're total crap? Please, at least let me know what you're thinking.

Cue word: "stardom"

* * *

– Glory – 

As so many children, when he had been young, he had hoped to become someone special. A famous master of charms or transfiguration; It hadn't even occurred to him that he might one day live an average life.

Once he realised this, he had been discouraged, aimless. As time went by, he turned the hurt into anger at everyone well-known for doing nothing. He grew disgusted, but too obsessed to look away.

When he finally had met her, he had for the first time thought that maybe, as long as she was around, he could stand the lack of glory.


	7. Unreasonable

Title: Unreasonable

Author: AkinoK

Summary: He contemplates the dangers of staying with a Death Eater.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns "Harry Potter". I don't make any money with this story.

Note: After a whole week in Frankfurt, because university started, I'm finally home and connected to the Internet, again. So, here is the next chapter! Please, tell me your thoughts in a review.

Cue word: "unreasonableness", or "Unvernunft", actually

* * *

– Unreasonable – 

Death Eaters were dangerous, everyone knew that. They were ruthless murderers, not needing much of a reason for one of their attacks.

Not as many people considered what it meant to be friends with one, family even. They were hostages, used by the Dark Lord to put pressure on his servants, should they seem to fail him.

He had tried to reason with her, but whenever the topic was approached, she would suddenly develop an unhealthy interest in books, tea or candy. Of course, he understood what she was doing, but he was selfish enough to let it slip by.


	8. Chosen

Title: Chosen

Author: AkinoK

Summary: He can't see why she would choose him.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns "Harry Potter", so I don't make any money with this.

Note: I'm sorry for the long delay. On the other hand, the next chapter is already mostly done. Thanks to Alex the Anachronistic for the reviews, by the way. Everyone else, please tell me your opinion.

Cue word: "chosen"

– Chosen –

There were a lot of things he deserved, most of which he'd never got, such as a fair trial leading him to Azkaban. Ironically, he thought, the only thing he had, should best be taken from him as soon as possible, for her own safety.

Still she was there. His angel. His light in the darkness, from the moment he woke up in the morning, to his last thoughts at night. And when he lay in her arms, close to sleep, he prayed to a god he hardly believed in, that she'd stay all the way.

He didn't deserve her.


	9. Dressing Up

Title: Dressing Up

Author: AkinoK

Summary: He's wondering what she's doing there.

Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this. Also, I think it is about time I point out that I've based these drabbles on the Snape / Auriga relationship as created by She's a Star.

Note: I've taken much longer with this than I intended to, which I'm truly sorry for. Thank you for reviewing anyway. I love all of you who read this, and especially those who review.

Cue word: "dressing up"

* * *

– Dressing Up –

He didn't quite understand what she was trying to prove, sitting there on his bed, clad in his widest teaching robes. If she was trying to be sexy, she had failed miserably; her hair was still wild, her glasses still slipping, and she had to fight hard to keep them up on her nose.

In the end, he sat down opposite her, trying to sneer, although it lost some malice due to the threatening grin. She must have sensed, because she poked her tongue out at him.

No, she definitely was not sexy. Cute was more like it, he thought.


	10. Warned

Title: Warned

Author: AkinoK

Summary: It seems that she just can't listen to his warnings.

Disclaimer: „Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this fanfiction.

Note: When I first ended up with the word "warning", I feared that it would turn out as a copy of "unreasonable", so instead I tried a slightly different approach to the topic.

Also, happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Cue Word: „warning"

* * *

– Warned –

He had told her hundreds, even thousands of times. Had she ever cared to listen? Well, right now he wouldn't argue about how he was not quite as compassionate as he could be. But really…

Just this morning at breakfast, he had pointed it out to her, that she really, _really_ should fix them. At one point, he had even reached over to push them back up, before they could fall into her food. She'd merely nodded.

Now, he couldn't help the grin, but he bent down with her, anyway, and helped looking for the damned glasses on the floor.


	11. Influence

Title: Influence

Author: AkinoK

Summary: He's marveling at their influence on each other.

Disclaimer: „Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this fanfiction.

Note: This took long to write, as I had absolutely no idea of how to get it done, despite knowing my point. Ugh…

Cue Word: „spin-off" in the sense of "by-product"

– Influence –

He stumbled upon her in the staff room, where she was grading essays, all absorbed in her work. So, naturally, he used his chance to sneak up on her and watch her for a while.

The parchment she was grading was slowly being covered all over with small remarks of hers, and as he read them, slight unease rose inside him; he should really tell her to be more careful!

Already, he had noticed changes in himself, and he doubted that people would stay oblivious for long, once the both of them started taking on each other's traits and habits.


	12. Lazy

Title: Lazy

Author: AkinoK

Summary: Watching her, he wonders about unnatural ideas.

Disclaimer: „Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this fanfiction.

Note: This one was written during a Japanese language lecture at university. That probably tells you why I've stopped and changed subjects.

Cue Word: „lounger"

– Lazy –

He watched from aside as she lay on the couch, leafing through a journal that seemed unable to hold her interest, occasionally sipping from a glass of wine. She was, he thought, the picture of aloof laziness, nearly bohemian, and his lips twitched at the thought.

Imagining her as aloof or even bohemian was almost against nature itself, he supposed, and he fought hard to get his mind back in working order – still, when he looked up, he could not quite bring himself to see her as simply lazy.

Maybe next time he watched, he'd find an answer to that.


	13. Chance

Title: Chance

Author: AkinoK

Summary: He thinks that, even if it doesn't come out, he can forget about his mark, once in a while.

Disclaimer: „Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this fanfiction.

Note: Written in maybe half an hour, this one. That's much better than "Influence", huh?

Cue Word: „to come out" (of a mark)

– Chance –

Some marks don't come out, they said, and he knew it was true: he himself bore one of them, for as long as he lived.

When he saw her, though, watched how she carried herself, how she moved and talked, there was no room left in his mind for thoughts about his past mistakes. His whole attention was drawn to her in mere seconds, admiring from afar, making his trademark comments whenever they seemed fit.

He fervently hoped that she would not resent him for it. After all, it was his only chance of forgetting, if only for a moment.


	14. Dreamy

Title: Dreamy

Author: AkinoK

Summary: She does not listen and he realizes that it is not merely annoying.

Disclaimer: „Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this fanfiction.

Note: I'm sorry for not updating this drabble collection sooner, but I'm close to finishing it now. I'm going on vacation tomorrow and will hopefully return with the rest of the chapters written, however working on my original novel forces me to do the fanfiction slower.

Cue Word: „dreamy"

* * *

– Dreamy –

Had he not spend the last quarter of an hour trying to get his point across, he might have thought it funny that she was so completely ignoring him. Currently, however, it was rather unnerving.

She had not listened to a word he said. That in itself was bad enough, but she'd been reading, lost in some fantasy play. It irked him, but at the same time he could not help watching her, so completely absorbed in those words, unconsciously playing with a loose strand of hair, some kind of nervous habit.

Annoying, yes, but in a rather sweet way.


	15. Flawed

Title: Flawed

Author: AkinoK

Summary: He fears he might have too much of an impact on her.

Disclaimer: „Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this fanfiction.

Note: This one took weeks to think of and about half an hour to write. I know it's similar to the first drabble, but the conclusion is different, so… I'm not sure about the title, though.

Thanks to Inu-midoriko and Alex for reviewing.

Cue Word: „neat"

* * *

– Flawed –

Usually, she looked ridiculous, be it in formal robes or shabby muggle clothes. It was one of the things he loved to comment on.

He supposed he needed to learn when to shut up…

She had donned a deep blue costume, the only nod to her profession. Her glasses were, for once, fixed and she had done – something to her hair. She looked _neat_.

He bit back the remark; afraid she would take it for some twisted kind of compliment, or stay with the style just to spite him.

Either way, he didn't need _that_ on his conscience, as well.


	16. Bouncy

Title: Bouncy

Author: Akino_K

Summary: He realizes there might be some unexpected side to everything.

Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this fanfiction.

Note: I suppose I just like him to realize stuff…

Written in about an hour and a half. Hope you enjoy, I'm not too sure about the style, though. Anyway, this is the second to last chapter, and the next is done and will be up sometime soon.

Merry Christmas!

Cue Word: „dignify"

* * *

– Bouncy –

He had only agreed because she had promised he could read uninterrupted here, which happened seldom enough.

True, there was no one at the door, but instead he had to listen to horribly most-modern interpretations of classical music. He was etching the writing into his mind to understand its meaning.

It hardly worked.

When she jumped from the couch, his head jerked up; she was slowly spinning in the middle of the room, dancing to what was buried beneath the bouncy beat.

A smile tugged at his lips.

Never mind that she bumped into the table more often than not.


	17. Wrapped Up

Title: Wrapped Up

Author: Akino_K

Summary: She got him a little present.

Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" belongs to JK Rowling, and I'm not making any money with this fanfiction.

Note: You don't want to know how long this last chapter took me; for over a year, I had absolutely no idea what to make of such a cue word. But in the end, here it is, and I suppose it turned out fine.

Well, this is it, as seventeen was the random number someone gave to me last year. Picking cue words from a dictionary was a fun way to write a story – give it a try, if you ever run out of ideas.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these drabbles, at least a little bit. For now, goodbye, thank you, and on to the last chapter!

Cue Word: "wrapping" (as in "wrapping paper")

* * *

– Wrapped Up –

That evening, when she showed up in front of his door, she was blushing violently, forcing her way into his living room. Spinning around, she shoved a small, brightly wrapped box into his hands.

He took it, wondering which missed anniversary had landed him there. But the thing did not explode immediately, and she was smiling shyly, and curiosity got the better of him, so he tugged at the ribbon, pulled off the paper and peeked inside.

A pair of scissors.

Frowning, he looked up to find her grinning at him, fingering a velvet band tied loosely around her neck.


End file.
